USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth county, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 251
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The society continued to inerease in numbers till there seemed to be a neces-ity for increasing their ac- commodations and becoming a legal organization. Having that object in view, a petition was presented to Charles W. Sumner, Esq., a justice of the peace, to call a meeting for that purpose, and for choosing a board of officers.
Agreeably to the call a meeting was held, Friday, Nov. 30, 1883, which was adjourned to Wednesday, Dec. 5, 1883, at which time a set of by-laws was adopted, among which were the following :
" Article 1. The name of this religious association shall be the UNITY CHERCH.
" Article 2. The object of this Church shall be the study and practice of pure religion. Although it is designed to be known as a U'nitarian Christian Church, no doctrinal test shall ever be made a condition of membership."
Dr. Henry H. Filoon was elected clerk, Benjamin O. Caldwell, treasurer, with Col. John J. Whipple, !
Benjamin O. Caldwell, Elmer W. Walker, Dr. Henry H. Filoon, Lucius Richmond, A. Cranston Thompson, and William H. Tobey, as standing committee.
At this meeting it was voted to purchase a lot of land on Pond Street, near Belmont Street, owned by Rufus P. Kingman, Esq., as a site for a church build- ing. The lot is a desirable one, is seventy-eight by one hundred and ten feet, and the price paid two thousand dollars. Messrs. Benjamin O. Caldwell, Lucius Richmond, and William H. Tobey were chosen to procure plans, etc., for the new church edifice.
The church, which is in process of building, will he a tasteful edifice, of wood, with a brick basement. The entire length of the building is eighty-seven feet, the main portion being sixty-six feet long, having a cov- ered portico twenty-five feet long. It is of the cottage style of architecture, and has a tower at the southwest corner seventy-four feet high, twelve feet square, and another at the northwest corner, fifty-three feet in height. It has five double windows of stained glass on either side, affording the interior a pleasing and cheerful aspect.
The interior has seatings for four hundred people, with aisles three and one-half feet in width, a choir- gallery and pulpit, with a study in the southeast cor- ner; a vestry, thirty-eight by forty feet ; a parlor, thirty-eight by twenty-two feet; a kitchen, nine by twelve feet ; a library, eight feet square, in short, it will be an attractive and elegant structure. There is a Sunday-school connected with this church number- ing one hundred and seventy five scholars. George H. Gould was the first superintendent, Mrs. Lucy A. Upham, assistant superintendent. Dr. Henry H. Fi- loon is the present ineumbent; George E. Bryant, librarian.
Brockton Free-Will Baptist Church was organ- ized Feb. 5, 1884. Numbers thirty-nine communi- cants. Services are held in Joslyn's Hall, on Centre Street. The present pastor is Rev. Henry T. Bar- nard. Mr. Barnard is the son of Tristram and Ma- hala F. (Russell) Barnard, born in Exeter, Me., April 1, 1841; graduated in the high school, Lowell, Mass., in 1859, and Bates' Theological School, Lew- iston, Me .; settled in Ossipee, N. H., 1878, and in Brockton, 1884. Isaae N. Allen, Cyrus E. Lane, deacons; John Barbour, clerk and treasurer ; John Barbour, superintendent of Sunday-school.
Latter-Day Saints .- Services are held in James' Hall, Clark's Block, Main Street, on the Sabbath, twice a day under the above name.
Swedish Baptist Church hold serviees in Drake's Hall, Campello. Organized 1883.
1198
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY.
Commercial Club .- This is a local organization of prominent business men, having for its object the cultivation of pleasant personal relations between its members, and the promotion of measures for the wel- fare and growth of the city.
At the outset this club was named Union Club, and its number limited to twenty-five members, but as there was another of that name, it was soon changed. The social element of this organization, which is a con- spicuous element, is its monthly meetings at Hotel Belmont, at which specches from invited guests having reference to and a bearing upon the mercan- tile interests of the city are often expected. In its general features it is not unlike many of the clubs of Boston. Its first officers at its organization, Jan. 12, 1883, were as follows : Rufus P. Kingman, president ; Ziba C. Keith, vice-president ; Baalis Sanford, secre- tary ; Henry W. Robinson, treasurer ; Davis S. Packard, Ellis Packard, Gardner J. Kingman, execu- tive committee ; Charles W. Sumner, Preston B. Keith, William W. Cross, George E. Keith, and Sewall P. Howard, committee on membership.
Old Colony Congregational Club .- This club was formed Nov. 21, 1883, of clergymen and laymen of various churches in the immediate vicinity of Brockton, for the promoting of social and effective work in the churches on a similar plan to other or- ganizations in various sections of the State. Any person attending, or who is a member of a Congre- gational Church, is eligible to membership. Six monthly meetings are held each year in Brockton, one in October, and the last one in the spring. A slight fee for membership is assessed, to pay current expenses.
Howard Associates .- James Foley, president ; A. E. Packard, vice-president ; Edward E. Bowen, clerk ; W. H. Cushing, treas. ; E. M. Lowe, William E. Davis, and B. T. Hatch, standing committee.
Probate Courts .- Sessions of the Probate Court for Plymouth County are held in Brockton in 1884, as follows : Monday, Feb. 11, 1884; Monday, May 26, 1884; Monday, July 14, 1884; Monday, Nov. 24,1884.
Jesse E. Keith, judge of probate; Edward E. Hobart, register of probate.
First District Court of Plymouth, established July 1, 1874.
The towns of Brockton, Bridgewater, and East Bridgewater constitute a judicial district, under the jurisdiction of the court, established by the name of " First District Court of Plymouth."
Sessions of this court are held daily for the trial of criminal cases, and on Tuesdays for civil business.
The court consists of one standing justice and two special justices, commissioned by the Governor of the commonwealth, as follows : Jonas R. Perkins, stand- ing justice ; Charles W. Sumner, special justice ; Hosea Kingman, special justice; David L. Cowell, clerk ; George A. Wheeler, Alira S. Porter, and Henry S. Porter, deputy sheriffs.
This court was organized on Tuesday the 1st day of July, the clerk reading the commissions of the standing and special justices and deputy sheriffs. Otis Hayward being designated as officer of the court. The county commissioners have provided apartments in a hall on East Elm Street, and fitted it with the usual fixtures of a court-room.
North Bridgewater Industrial Association .- This association was organized Dec. 27, 1860, with the following officers : Chandler Sprague, Esq , presi- dent; Isaac T. Packard, secretary ; Lyman Clark, treasurer ; Charles Gurney and David L. Cowell, vice- presidents.
The object of this association is the encouragement of the mechanic arts, agriculture, and horticulture. On account of the rebellion of 1861 this association has not made rapid progress, and their plans were sus- pended for a while. In October, 1863, a new board of officers was chosen, as follows : John S. Eldredge, presi- dent; H. W. Robinson and Dr. L. W. Puffer, vice-presi- dents ; David L. Cowell, secretary ; Chandler Sprague, Esq., treasurer ; Moses Stearns, Rufus S. Noyes, Milo Manley, Isaac Kingman, C. J. F. Packard, Samuel French, Loring W. Puffer, Frederic Perkins, Henry W. Robinson, George A. Packard, Caleb H. Packard, and Alexander Hichborn, trustees. Nov. 7, 1870, this association was changed to the "North Bridge- water Agricultural Society."
BROCKTON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
"We, the undersigned inhabitants of the town of Broekton, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do hereby associate ourselves together for the purpose of forming a corporation, un- der the provisions of Section 17, of Chapter 66, of the General Statutes of the Commonwealth above mentioned, to encourage Agriculture, the name of which Corporation shall be 'The Brockton Agricultural Society,' to be established in the said town of Broekton.
"In witness whereof we hereunto set our hands, this Eighth day of June, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sev- enty-four.
" Henry W. Robinson. Johu J. Whipple.
Rufus P. Kingman. George E. Frecman. Henry E. Lincoln. William H. Tobey.
Rufus C. Kimball. Franklin O. Iloward.
Lorenzo F. Severance. Warren A. Howard. William W. Stoddard. Joseph W. Robinson."
Upon application to David L. Cowell, Esq., a jus- tice of the peace, a warrant was issued to Henry W. Robinson directing him to notify the above mem-
1199
APPENDIX.
bers to meet at Cunningham Hall, July 9, 1874, for the purpose of organization. Henry W. Robinson was selected as chairman, and Ira Copeland clerk.
The following persons were chosen a committee to draft a set of by-laws, viz. : William W. Cross, George E. Freeman, Warren A. Howard, Ira Copeland, and Franklin O. Howard.
The following were the officers during the first year : Henry W. Robinson, president ; Albert Keith, Charles R. Ford, Lucius Leach, Davis S. Packard, and Franklin O. Howard, vice-presidents; Rufus P. Kingman, treasurer ; Ira Copeland, clerk ; William W. Cross, George N. Holmes, Warren A. Howard, Peleg L. Leach, Nathaniel R. Packard (2d), Joseph W. Robinson, and George E. Freeman, directors ; Ellis Packard, Rufus P. Kingman, Otis F. Curtis, finance committee.
This is an organization under the General Statutes of Massachusetts, according to the provisions of chapter 66, section 17 ; organized July 9, 1874. The object of which is as follows :
" For the purpose of encouraging and promoting the material prosperity of this community in every form of productive industry. in the cultivation of the soil, in the rearing and improving of domestic animals, in the mechanic arts, and in whatever pertains to these, we associate ourselves under the name of the ' Brockton Agricultural Society,' and agree to be governed by the by-laws of the Society."
The first exhibition by this society took place at the fair-grounds Oct. 7, 8, and 9, 1874. At first Yale's mammoth tents were used for the indoor ex- hibition, but the society have since added permanent buildings. During the summer of 1874 the society built an excellent one-half mile trotting track, said to be one of the best in the State, and inclosed the entire grounds with a high board fence. It is situ- ated on Belmont, near Torrey Street, one and one- quarter miles from the Main Street of Brockton, and contains about thirty acres of land.
Massasoit Lodge, No. 69, I. 0. 0. F .- This lodge surrendered their charter, Feb. 2, 1871, where- upon the following persons petitioned for a new charter or to be reinstated :
Ellis Packard, Noah Chesman, Lorenzo D. Hervey, Oakes S. Soule, Benjamin R. Clapp, George R. Whit- ney, Oliver B. Hervey, Horatio E. Paine, and Dan- iel Perkins.
The prayer of the petitioners was granted, and they were reinstituted Feb. 16, 1871, with the fol- lowing officers: Noah Chesman, N. G .; Lorenzo D. Hervey, V. G .; Rufus E. Brett, Sec .; Oakes S. Soule, Treas. ; Oliver B. Hervey, W. ; E. E. Pack-
ard, C .; F. A. Towle, O. G .; W. F. Stratton, I. G .; Sewall P. Howard, R. S. N. G .; J. W. Freeman, L. S. N. G. ; Walter Scott, R. S. V. G .; E. C. Stone, L. S. V. G .; George E. Minzey, R. S. S. ; J. P. Gainor, L. S. S .; George R. Whitney, Chap.
Since printing history of this lodge on page 717, we find the above data.
The first meeting of the Odd-Fellows was held in Tyler Cobb's Hall, at the corner of Main and High Streets. They now have an elegant new hall fitted up in Howard Block, thirty-five by fifty feet, and six- teen feet high ; a commodious banquet hall and other small rooms, besides a kitchen and closets. The hall was carpeted with fine Brussels by the Beatrice, Daughters of Rebekah.
At the south side or head of the hall is the chair and desk of the Noble Grand, over which hangs a beautiful velvet canopy in scarlet. Directly opposite, at the north end of the hall, is the chair and desk of the Vice-Grand, also having a canopy of blue velvet. On the left of the main entrance is the chaplain's desk and chairs, a gift from William H. Savage. Over these is another elegant canopy. The Bible used by the chaplain was a gift from the Stoughton Lodge, No. 72. Directly opposite the chaplain's, on the east or front side of the hall, is the seat of the Past Grand, also overhung with a beautiful velvet canopy, with chairs and desk presented by Col. John J. Whipple, of the Nemasket Encampment.
Brockton Association of Stationary Engi -. neers have rooms in the Theatre Building, East Elm Street, George V. Scott, president ; Charles Reed, vice-president ; James Robinson, secretary ; Joshua Sears, treasurer. The object being to improve the standard of engineers and to reap the benefits of ex- perience and experiments in engineering.
ERRATA.
In the list of county treasurers on page 8 of the county his- tory the author permitted himself to be led into the error of supposing that up to the incumbency of Rossiter Cotton the treasurer and register of deeds were the same. After the chapter had gone to press a suspicion of the error arose, and a careful and somewhat perplexing examination of the records of the Provincial Court, to which the annual accounts of county treasurers were rendered for approval, has made dis- closures leading to the following corrected list :
Samuel Sprague 1693
1710
Ephraim Spooner
1790
Haviland Torrey
1736
| Rossiter Cotton 1809
John Foster
1741
William R. Sever
1838
Thomas Foster.
1742
John Morissey 1877
Edward Winslow. 1750
John Cotton ... 1756
John Dyer.
On page 720, second column, twenty-second line, read Wil- liam Shepardson, instead of "Shepson."
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3580.17
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